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27 January, 2011

Salt

Its not a good sign for a movie when after watching it I'm more interested in telling you where I saw it (in a theatre on a cruise ship) rather than talk about the movie. Anyhow, this being a movie blog I shall stick to the subject. We have Angelina Jolie playing the title character who is working as a spy for the CIA. Over time she takes a desk job at the CIA, gets married, and moves into what seems like a simpler life with her husband. Then one day she is identified by a supposed informer as a Russian spy and part of a sleeper cell that has been in the US for decades. What follows is a very average cat and mouse game with the CIA trying to catch Salt as she runs around getting her life straight again. In this process we also learn about her past and what really is the truth.

Unfortunately, almost all the characters are underdeveloped and lack any depth. Relationships between everyone seem extremely cold (unless it is a deliberate attempt since we talk about the cold war and are amidst spies). The twists are nothing to brag about. On the positive side, the action was pretty decent and fast paced, making it easy to sit through the movie. I don't think having a male lead would have made much difference since initially the movie was based on a male actor playing the title character. In fact having Angelina Jolie probably helped them get some eye-candy points. Liev Schreiber is brilliant as ever in a supporting role.

All in all an average affair that deserves, in my book, a 2.5/5 rating